Week 19 - Gift

I know I will sound cliche by saying this, but I love gift giving any time of the year. Of course, Christmas is a special time of the year to do this, and this year was no exception. We had a great Christmas and I just thought that this week I would take a few minutes to hit the highlights.

Probably the coolest gift idea this year was something my wife made for the women on her side of the family. She scanned in an old recipe from her grandma's great grandmother. The handwriting scanned in very legibly and had a classic old look to it. The she used a company which can print fabric patterns from any image and printed the recipe on fabric which she turned into kitchen towels. A little fun idea from Pinterest (I think) for anyone looking for ideas.

Both my wife and I set a budget each year for us for Christmas. I highly recommend this to any couple because it takes so much of the pressure off of the giving. Whether or not any of us will admit it, we either judge each other by how much we receive, or the other person in a relationship judges themselves based on how much they gave compared to us. Rather than play any of those games or allow someone to feel good or bad about how much we gave, we set a locked budget for how much can be spent on the significant other for Christmas (all bets are off for birthdays). Now granted, my wife is much more thrifty than I am, but it keeps on a level playing field with known expectations and prevents any of the spending drama that can come with Christmas, and doesn't belong in the holiday atmosphere. This worked very well when we were both dating long-distance in college, and so we've stuck with it through marriage, too. Someday when I'm out of college and have a job, we might change it up, she deserves a medal of honor for all of her work to support us through my schooling, but time will tell how that plays out.

A pair of boots disguised as a super lumpy package.

This year I had a very short list of things that I knew my wife wanted.  I hate being predictable, either by disguising presents or hitting the home run with an unexpected gift. However, this year there were specific needs and wants that we had with the new house, one of those being an under-the-counter radio/stereo for the kitchen. The purchase, broken part, return debacle and final installation are a story of hers, but the end game is that I did buy it for her, did plan on Sony having quality control issues and we did track down a replacement within a week and were able to jam out to Josh Groban and Lady Antebellum Christmas tracks during December.  Seeing the smile on her face and watching her dance through the kitchen while she waits on the oven to warm up was all the gift I needed for Christmas.

However, she always has a surprise up her sleeve. This year she started working on hunting down a kayak. I have wanted one for a long time and worked hard to convince her to buy 2 for us to go out on the water together. I knew she was up to something when she had me wake her up at midnight for a Black Friday sale item. However, when she couldn't get the free shipping (imagine no free shipping on a kayak? lol), she proclaimed, "Christmas is ruined!", with her worst pouty face and went back to bed. At this point, I assumed the kayak adventure was over. She then brought home something into the guest bedroom a few days later and told me until she had time to put it away, I couldn't go in there. Well, days turned to weeks, and I naturally assumed she was just lazy or busy and hadn't moved it, when in truth, the damn boat filled the whole room and she had nowhere else to put it or move it by herself. Imagine my surprise when she leads me up to the bedroom and opens the door where Brutus is scarfed up and sitting in this 10' yellow kayak. I have since hung the boat in the barn and started the long process of registering the boat with the DNR.

My wife and Betsy sitting in my new ride!

It may seem like a silly gift to many, but that boat represents my ability to escape to the water around the corner from us. From a young age, I was fascinated by Lewis and Clark, their daring into the unknown Louisiana Purchase and all of the wonders that they saw. I will probably never be an explorer like them, but the kid in my heart still wants to get out on the water and see what most people never will. I want to break the smooth edge of untouched water in the inlets of our lake. I want to silently stalk the Bald Eagles and Blue Herons who flee the first sound of a motor. I want to see the carp jump out of the water and I hope that they never flip my boat (since I can't swim). I am scared to death of unclear water, but this is my chance to beat it - to prove to myself that there is no monster and to open my eyes to the beauty of nature, unadultered by our numerous neighbors. This gift represents freedom and adventure, and I can't wait for this Spring.

We received many other gifts from both our families, gifts of enormous generosity dwarfed only by the gift of our Lord. I have been blessed by 2 great families, and wonderful friends, and I am grateful for you all. This break was exactly what I needed as we start looking forward to a very busy 2013.

The time has come to announce what I consider to be the greatest gift of 2012, even though it did not come at Christmas. Months ago, my wife met me at the garage door when I came home from basketball, standing there in sweatpants with a puzzled look on her face. I was talking to the dog who was diving in the trees, but I looked to her and knew she had something to tell me. Words that I hope I will remember for all time, "We're pregnant." I have been so excited to announce this for a long time now, but have been waiting until we've told everyone important to us. No offense to the few random readers who pay attention to this blog.

Betsy's reaction when we tried to shoot a Christmas announcement.

I have no idea what the year 2013 holds for us, but this much I know. In June, we are going to bring a new life into this world and being its father will probably be the greatest thing I ever do. While I'm nervous that I might screw up, I know that I will love this child with my whole heart and do my best to raise it as I see best. A whole new world is opening up ahead of us, and it is motivation to work hard through this PhD because there is now another life that will be counting on me. Farewell 2012, and welcome to 2013!